Raman Singh slams Congress on coal block allocations

Raipur: Chief Minister Raman Singh Monday denied his role in the allocation of coal blocks in Chhattisgarh and accused the prime minister of having read only a portion of the draft recommendations sent by him in 2005.

Singh said that chief ministers only give suggestions to the union government. He added that the final authority to allocate major minerals like iron ore and coal rests with the central government.

He said that in 2005, he had suggested to the coal minister and the prime minister that a sudden change in the policy of allotment of coal blocks would have an adverse impact on the viability of the then ongoing steel, iron and captive power projects in Chhattisgarh.

"Our suggestion was either to allocate coal blocks to the ongoing projects or allocate adequate number of coal blocks to the State Mining Corporation, which in turn could meet the demands of the existing/ongoing projects by coal mining through joint ventures," Singh said in a press statement.

He added that if the central government decides on competetive bidding for coal blocks, the revenue generated should be shared between the centre and the state.